Mr. Ayres spent 36 years with Morgan, most recently as its vice president of sales and marketing — a position he’s held for the last eight years.

(Palfinger Liftgates photo)

Gene Ayres

In his new role, he will report directly to Palfinger Lifgates President Hakan Peterson.

“We look forward to leveraging Gene’s experience and background as we continue developing liftgate sales in North America,” Mr. Peterson said. “This opportunity will permit Gene and his team to offer the best value solutions for our many customers.”

Cerritos-based Palfinger USA is a subsidiary of Palfinger Group of Salzburg, Austria, a leading manufacturers of hydraulic lifting systems for commercial vehicles and ships.